Kim and Dave

I opened my wedding season photographying the wedding of a really cool couple, Kim and Dave. We headed to Itasca downtown after the ceremony to take photos, the limo driver assumed I would be taking the photos at the local park (on my worse day would I stop at a park!) and decided to have some initiative on his own and drop the bridal party at the park where all the kids going to prom were taking pictures! Dave came to the rescue when I finally cought up with them and hussled everybody back into the limo and we headed to the train tracks and the entrance of a golf course that had a lovely creek and the sun set was really providing some amazing lighting. We lost precious time with the driver's good intentions and I had to really push everybody to get the amazing shots that really showed off the bride's maids' amazing blue dresses.
Thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to capture your day, I had a lot of fun and look forward delivering you wedding album! See a video in my You Tube page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvjG7qhd5jQ

3 out of 4 International Merits of Excellence!

Dear friends, these are the three images out four that competed in Monterrey, Mexico on April 20th in the annual SMFP convention (Mexican Society of Professional Photographers). I want to mention that all three images caused long debates among the judges. I've never seen so many judges get up from their seat to take a close look at the images, I was a nervous reck! It was a long day waiting for my images to come up but it was worth the wait. By the end of the convention, all the members of the board of directors knew who I was and since then have sent me emails inviting me to participate as a speaker in other conventions! Well, may be in the future, I need to get my Master's degree first! I want to thank Samantha, Gina, Thessa and Robert for allowing me to guide them in the creation of the winning images, I'm a winner thanks to them!

"Samantha"

"Gina"

"Thessa and Robert"

The Omni, The Bride Society and Me!

I recently joined talents with the girls from TheBrideSociety.com to do a fashion photoshoot at the Omni Hotel Downtown Chicago. The models were former brides of mine, the Bride Society girls and the Omni's own recently wed management team. Claudia, the catering manager provided us with a suite to spend the night so we could do a photoshoot late Saturday night after all the customers were gone from the restaurant and bar area, Marianthy, my former bride was the model. The next day, the other two girls, Gina and Jeniffer, arrived early and we spent several hours changing looks and accesories to create different images. These images will be used for the Omni's marketing campaing and the Bride society's own editorial. To all future brides, I highly recoment the Omni for your wedding reception, it has two wonderful ballrooms, a striking view of Michigan avenue and of course, you're right there at the Magnificent mile for tons of photo oportunities and your guests shopping indulgence!. The food at 676 is outstanding, try the Sunday brunch, the omelettes are to die for!

2009 Accolade of Excellence Album

Wedding Gallery

Mario, Chicago

This weekend I photographed Mario, a singer of Spanish music. Mario has won several singing contests and is launching his professional career here in Chicago. I enjoyed so much working with Mario because he gave me green light to create a series of fashionable images to promote his career as a singer and model. We started at my home studio using available light and then we proceeded to the train station to create really cool images outdoors and we got lucky when a train actually passed by. Despite of the cold, he and his friend Monica who helped with the flash and later as a prop for the last images back at the studio, put up with me without a complaint unitl I had created the images you see below. Lately I've been doing promo shoots for people in the entertainment business giving my work a twist since I mostly focous on weddings. I plan to use the experience gained to include a fashionable touch to this season's weddings so stay tunned!

The Dizz, Chicago

I recently did a promotional photo shoot for my best friend Victor Blackful, the heart of Soul 106.3 radio station. Being one of the top DJs in Chicago, I wanted to do something that told a story about who he is other than a DJ, the way I know him. Besides music being his life and Chicago his home, Victor is a business man, a nature lover and one of the most caring and dedicated men I've known, he's pure inspiration to me as he has been to thousands of people that he has touched through his years of broadcasting, even Oprah!

We did the photoshoot at my home studio and then I took him for a surprise photoshoot in the middle of the snow! I had this idea in mind of combining his passion for music, his love for Chicago and it's cold winters and his love for nature to tell a story of his constant search for a path to reach more souls and leaving a trail of him behind for people to also find their way, like the story of Hanz and Gretel. With no complains from his part, he put up with knee deep snow in just a sweter and the results were very pleasing for both of us, I hope you all enjoy and decide to check his show brodcasted in the internet at http://www.soul1063radio.com/.

Valerie and Tasos, Pazzos Restaurant

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays! What better season to celebrate a marriage than the Holidays! I love the Holidays and I was fortunate to have the privilege to photograph the wedding of one of the most amazing couples I ever had. It rained constantly that day and the temperature was in the 50's in December! But not a problem, Pazzos has the most amazing setting for photography so we did everything indoors with amazing results, these are definitely my favorite images of the year, good way to finish the year! We ventured outside for few minutes when the rain gave us a break and we took some great shoots in front of the huge Christmas tree at the Sears Tower and at this point, I was really pushing my luck! Thank you Valerie and Tasos for being so easy to work with and allowed me to preserve your beautiful wedding in these amazing images. Enjoy your honeymoon and I can't wait to show you the rest of the images! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!!

Valerie and Tassos, Magnificent Mile

Last Summer I did the engagement sesison of Valeri and Tassos and this Christmas season I will be photographing their wedding. I love to shoot in Chicago, it has so much to offer. We started at the Merchandise Mart and finished at the Magnificent Mile. I wanted to give them images with a very chick feel to it and also a romantic setting so at Michigan avenue we had some fun using the windows of designer stores like Gucci and then we headend to the gardens of a church full with vines and stone that give that Romeo and Juliet dreamy seeting. It was absolutely a delight and can't wait for their wedding next weekend so stay tunned for images from their wedding!

Beatriz and Carlos, Monterrey Mexico

I recentrly flew to Monterrey Mexico to photograph Beatriz and Carlos, a wonderful couple that will be getting married next March at the amazing Fudidora Park in Monterrey. This was a last minute trip I made before flying myself to spend the holidays with my family at the beach and I'm glad I did it. Despite Beatriz and Carlos being tired from Beatriz' sister's wedding the night before, they were in such good disposition to work with me especially because my style of photography is so unfamiliar in Mexico and they were not expecting...well....to have so much fun! Carlos home served as the setting for the entire photoshoot and we included a small session with Carlos kids, America and Charlie, who were so excited to be part of the photo session. Gracias Beatriz y Carlos por sus atenciones, fuero excelentes modelos y pase unas horas memorables. Gracias por aguantarme y hacer todo lo que les pedi sin queja alguna, espero que les gusten sus fotos tanto como a mi. Saludos desde Mazatlan!